Policies

*Please have your pet on a leash or in a carrier prior to entering lobby*

Although your dog may be ‘nice’ and does great without a leash, some other dogs may not and may lash out towards your dog because they are feeling threatened or protective of their owner.  If you need a leash, we have plenty available to you just by the front door inside our lobby.

Please think about our little feline patients as well. Cats usually become very stressed when they are in a foreign environment, and we do everything we can to make the veterinary experience less stressful.  Please have your cats safely in a carrier, and feel free to use our kitty corner to help keep them calm and avoid any large dogs who may run up towards them.

If you prefer to put your pet directly in an exam room, please let your client care representative know and we will arrange that to make your, and your pet’s visit more manageable and happy!

Appointments

To allow ample time for all patients and scheduled surgical procedures, we operate primarily by appointment. Emergency cases shall always receive top priority, which is why occasional appointment delay is inevitable. Please realize that we make a sincere attempt to see each client on time.

We have appointment times available from 30 minutes to 60 minuets based on scenario and time of day.  We have ‘same day’ appointment times to help alleviate our busy schedules, which are to be available the day of.  We offer ‘sick’ appointment times for animals having mild symptoms such as lose stool, lumps, limping and more.   Annual wellness exams should ideally be scheduled 2-4 weeks ahead before it is due.

Drop-off Appointments

Drop off appointments are available to pets who may be sick or showing symptoms that warrant an exam sooner then later.   A Drop off means that we would schedule a time for you to bring in your pet, go over a history with a technician who will go over a treatment plan based on your pets’ symptoms, and leave your pet with us for a few hours.  During this time, we will bring your pet to the treatment area and the doctor will examine your pet with a full physical exam and possibly run a diagnostic such as bloodwork, ultrasound or x-rays.  The doctor will then call you with a treatment plan based on findings and schedule a time for you to pick up your pet.

When you pick up your pet, you will be met by either the doctor or the technician who will go over any medications or discharge instructions with you.

Drop off appointments can be scheduled if our regular schedule is booked as we will never turn away a patient who needs to be seen.  There is a small hospitalization fee associated with a drop off.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call or discuss at the time of scheduling.

Annual Examinations and Prescriptions

According to the law, a veterinarian must have a current relationship with each patient for them to be allowed to prescribe OR dispense medication for that pet. This means that if you think your pet needs a certain medication but we have not physically examined your pet within a year, we are legally not permitted to prescribe any medications for your pet. It also means that we are not permitted to sell any prescription medications to a patient that we have never examined. Frequently visitors who are passing through, will ask if their regular vet can “call in” a prescription for us to fill. Since we are not a licensed pharmacy, we are not permitted to fill a prescription medication for a patient with whom we do not have a relationship.  The same goes towards prescription diets.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Payment Policy

We require full payment at the time that services are rendered for all elective procedures. This means for all procedures that are not emergent. For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Care Credit, cash and personal checks.

For emergencies, we prefer full payment at the time that services are rendered.  If you are not able to pay the full balance, we will request that you apply for Care Credit.  You can follow this link to apply online: Apply for Care Credit.

What is Care Credit?

At PKC, Care Credit is a 6-month, interest-free line of credit that can be used for veterinary services. It can also be used for dental and cosmetic services, with differing time periods and interest rates.

If you apply and are not approved for Care Credit, we require half of the estimated procedure cost at the time of service. For the remaining balance, you will be asked to complete our Payment Plan which will require that you leave a credit card number for us to process for agreed upon amounts on agreed upon dates.  There is a $20.00 one time set up fee and 2% per month finance charge that will be charged to all account over 30 days old.  If two consecutive payments are missed the account will be turned over to a professional collection office.